New park plans made by DM

Dubai Municipality is set to fork out US $109 million on parks, landscaping and community sports facilities in 2006

Dubai Municipality has revealed plans to spend around US $109 million (AED400 million) this year on the construction of new parks, landscaping and community facilities. Speaking to Construction Week, Fatima Al Muhairi, head of the landscape unit at Dubai Municipality, said: “We are looking at an approximate investment of about AED400 million over the course of this year on neighbourhood parks, pond parks, and community facilities like sports grounds and social places for family recreation. “We are also studying the concentration of different cultures in different areas of Dubai and will then construct community facilities according to their needs and requirements; for example, if the area is predominantly Arab we will try and include more football facilities, or if the area is mainly European we will try and incorporate something from their culture there.” The municipality is looking to build 20 neighbourhood parks, 13 pond parks and 40 community facilities in total. Mohammed Hassan Al Ali, head of the project design section in the general projects department, DM, said: “We are also encouraging contractors and consultants to submit ideas for new projects so that we can implement them as far as possible. “We want the people who are living in Dubai to be involved with these projects, as we’re undertaking them for their benefit.” Last year, DM completed its newest green space, Zabeel Park, in the centre of the city. The 46-ha park includes a boating lake with a 30m fountain, a lakside restaurant, a BMX circuit and skateboard park, mini golf, adventure playground and a cricket pitch. Hassan Al Ali also said that the municipality was working on two sets of new standards and regulations — one for consultants and the other for contractors, which would be out in the third quarter of this year.